I have been thinking a lot about myself and where I came from this past week. I guess you could blame it on the fact that my dad would have had his seventy-sixth birthday on Thursday, December 20. He passed away in 1995 and I still miss him quite a bit. He was sweet and kind and gentle. He thought about others first and he was a hard worker. He was also simple, and laid back. Simple in that he didn't need a lot of fancy stuff to be happy. He didn't talk much, kind of quiet, but in a good way.
He always had steady employment; he died employed by the same company he had worked at for forty years. He and my mom were married for thirty three years when he passed and they were happy together.
Something that we always did as a family was that we listened to country music at the house, in the car and on road trips. I didn't really know any other genre of music existed until I heard Metallica on the bus ride to school one morning in seventh grade. I love Metallica, by the way. That said, I love all kinds of music now, but country music has kind of stuck with me over the years. One singer that I really love and have loved for a while is Don Williams and he sings some great country songs. One in particular is called "I Believe in You".
This song to me embodies a simpler, more slower paced lifestyle. I guess you could say it embodies my dad and the way he was. I hate to throw politics in the mix, but this IS the Political Chicken talking here. It may represent even a more conservative lifestyle. Thankfully you all can't hear me sing the lyrics, but a few of them are worth repeating:
I believe in love
I believe in babies
I believe in mom and dad
I believe in you
Does anybody talk that way anymore? I think if we did, our country would be a whole lot better off. He also goes into a few things he doesn't believe and they are:
I don't believe:
that virginity is as common as it used to be
That gasoline is in short supply
The rising cost of getting by
He also says that he doesn't believe that heaven waits for only those who congregate. I would tend to agree with that statement. Like the song lyrics, I also believe that God is love and that he's down below and up above. He knows who does and doesn't care. I think that my dad believed all of those things, too. That's what made my dad so great. If there are any dads of daughters reading this, take note and realize that your relationship with her is going to help her succeed or fail in relationships with men. No pressure, or anything.
This is a small tribute to my dad and the example he was and the relationship we had. I was only eighteen when he passed, but I am so thankful for those eighteen years. Thank you to my dad and my mom. I am so thankful to have had parents like you growing up. I only hope that I can have the same affect on my children as you both had on me. I love you.
